Sunday, August 31, 2008

5 8 5 5 5 3

Starting pitcher:
M.C. O'Connor

Not his worse start of the year. That honor is reserved for his 4/18 effort in St. Louis (3-2/3 IP, 9 ER). He gave up 6 earned runs against the White Sox at home month later, but that was in 7 innings. He gave up a couple of bombs late in that one to blow what was a good start, but managed another ND despite the team losing 13-8. He's given up 5 ER on 3 other occasions (5/8 in Pittsburgh, 6/4 against the Mets, and 7/6 vs. LA), all losses.

MC had nothing today--he didn't bring the gas. He couldn't get the damn pitcher out to end the 5th inning! Wildness and lack of velocity were the culprits. Despite today being his 100th career appearance, his 100th start is not until next time. MC pitched 2 shutout innings of relief in 2006 (5/16 in Houston). JAMEY WRIGHT started that game for the Giants! I got this info via FAN GRAPHS, but I can't remember the circumstances of that game--why we had Cain in the 'pen, for example. I reckon he was struggling. He bounced back with a shutout in Oakland 5 days later. Let's hope we see some more of that.

4 comments:

A heinous series, to give up 27 runs in 3 games. It's now really all(*) about the rookies, getting their first homers, first triples, etc. Even more so soon with all the Sept callups.Naturally I'll be intrigued to see how Sanchez comes back from his "shoulder strain."(*besides the Timmy Show.)

Is it crazy to think that Matt may need another pitch? Don't get me wrong, I'm not panicking about him or this year. He has done well and is certainly a rising star. However, it is hard not to want more tangible improvement.It seems like Tim's changeup has taken the league by surprise and has been a big part of his elevation. Matt (and everyone else) would be well served by a pitch that yields more ground balls and quick outs.

Other topic: Sept callups. How on earth is Bonehead going to deal with more talent to evaluate? If Molina, Aurilia, Winn or Rowand play consecutive days, it's a crime. How much time do you really spend on Bowker at 1B, or Rohlinger at 3B, or Ochoa at SS, especially with Pablo, Emmanuel and Eugenio already warming in the oven?

This Schierholz thing is unfathomable, unless he is trade bait, and they want him to keep playing at a level where he looks good. McClain? Gimme a break. It's like keeping Yabu around. Once again we are burned by our expensive long-term committments to slightly above-average veterans. All Roberts is doing now is blocking young OFs by taking a bench spot. Ridiculous.